Laredo Rattlesnakes

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{USFootball team

| team = Laredo Rattlesnakes

| logo = Laredo Rattlesnakes.PNG

| pixels = 200px

| founded = 2011

| folded = 2013

| league = Lone Star Football League

| history = Laredo Rattlers (planning stages)
Laredo Rattlesnakes (2012–2013)

| arena = Laredo Energy Arena

| city = Laredo, Texas

| colors = Green, Red, Gold
{{color box|green}} {{color box|red}} {{color box|yellow}}

| owner = Chad Dittman

| coach = Rod Miller

| championships =

| titles =

| cheerleaders =

| dancers = Rattlesnakes Dancers

| mascot =

}}

The Laredo Rattlesnakes were a professional indoor football team in the Lone Star Football League that began play in the 2012 season. Based in Laredo, Texas, the Rattlesnakes played their home games at the Laredo Energy Arena.{{cite web |url=http://www.laredosun.us/notas.asp?id=17316 |title=Laredo Energy Arena announces a new indoor football team |newspaper=The Laredo Sun |location=Laredo, TX |date= |accessdate=August 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513140000/http://www.laredosun.us/notas.asp?id=17316 |archive-date=May 13, 2012 |url-status=usurped }}

Previously, the Rattlesnakes had been announced as members of the Southern Indoor Football League along with the two other franchises owned by Chad Dittman, the Rio Grande Valley Magic and the Corpus Christi Hammerheads. However, in the press conference announcing the team's logos and color scheme, Dittman says that a deal to team up with other Texas teams for a brand-new league is "99 percent" done.{{cite news |first=Dennis |last=Silva |url=http://www.lmtonline.com/articles/2011/07/30/front/sports/doc4e33104f35035816599507.txt |title=Laredo's new indoor football team named "Rattlers" |newspaper=Laredo Morning Times |date=July 29, 2011 |accessdate=August 4, 2012}} That deal was reached in the form of the Lone Star Football League, of which the Rattlesnakes were a charter member.

The Rattlesnakes were the third indoor/arena football team based in Laredo; previous indoor teams included the Laredo Law of af2 (which only played the 2004 season before folding) and the Laredo Lobos of the Intense Football League and later af2 (which played the 2006 and 2007 seasons in these respective leagues before folding).

Originally, the team was called the Laredo Rattlers, however, the Arena Football League issued a cease-and-desist letter to the team because of the existing Arizona Rattlers.{{cite web |url=http://www.pro8news.com/sports/Cease-and-Desist-Issued-To-Rattlers-President-126744043.html |title=Cease and Desist Issued To Rattlers President |publisher=KGNS-TV |date=August 3, 2011 |accessdate=August 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316070046/http://www.pro8news.com/sports/Cease-and-Desist-Issued-To-Rattlers-President-126744043.html |archive-date=March 16, 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |first=Dennis |last=Silva |url=http://www.lmtonline.com/articles/2011/08/04/front/sports/doc4e3a0563410bb288772660.txt |title=Rattlers change name to Rattlesnakes |newspaper=Laredo Morning Times |date=August 3, 2011 |accessdate=August 4, 2012}}

The Rattlesnakes folded following the 2013 season due to the financial and legal issue faced by the team's owner.{{cite news |first=Jason |last=Mack |newspaper=Laredo Morning Times |location=Laredo, TX |publisher=Hearst Corporation |title=Rattlesnakes cease operation |url=http://www.lmtonline.com/articles/2013/10/01/front/sports/doc524a4c50ea9fd445508017.txt |date=September 30, 2013 |accessdate=October 13, 2013}} The team's equipment was auctioned to the public in late November 2013 and the team formally dissolved.{{cite news |first=Christine |last=Rojas |newspaper=The Laredo Sun |location=Laredo, TX |title=Rattlesnakes Leave Laredo |url=http://laredosun.us/?p=1237 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213005511/http://laredosun.us/?p=1237 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=December 13, 2013 |date=November 25, 2013 |accessdate=December 9, 2013}}